10 Captivating Fantasy Books For Young Readers

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Readers of all ages love fantasy, but kids are especially likely to get hooked on this fantastic genre, where imagination runs wild, magic is real, and the world is inhabited by strange and beautiful creatures. The ten captivating books listed here allow young readers to escape to new worlds, where they can experience amazing adventures. https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-captivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYg

10 Captivating Fantasy Books For Young Readers

TitleAuthor
1.Charis: Journey to Pandora’s JarNicole Y. Walters
2.Sir Princess PetraDiane Mae Robinson
3.The Hob and the DeermanPat Walsh
4.Fog IslandTomi Ungerer
5.There May Be a CastlePiers Torday
6.Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the SunClayton Smith
7.DreamwoodHeather Mackey
8.The Secret Life of Daisy FitzjohnTania Unsworth
9.Bad MagicPseudonymous Bosch
10.The Mad Wolf’s DaughterDiane Magras

Fun Activities For Young Fantasy Fans

How to Encourage Kids to Read

A great way to start is to get a bookshelf for your child’s room. If they have access to their own collection of books, it’ll be easy for them to read at their own pace. And if they’re looking at the shelf everyday, reading will always be on their mind. It’s also important to give your kids a comfortable place to sit. This can be anything from a rocking chair to a couch to a dedicated reading nook. If they have a space that’s just for them, it makes reading time all the more special. As they grow, your young ones will start to read more challenging books with words they don’t know. Encourage them to look up unfamiliar terms in the dictionary so they can expand their vocabulary. Finally, if you’re having trouble getting your kid interested in books in the first place, try bridging the gap between visual media and literature with graphic novels.

What is Fantasy?

In Depth

No genre can capture the imagination quite like fantasy, where readers are invited to envision impossible worlds, daring heroes, and strange creatures living in the land of myth and legend. There’s a reason why so many speculative stories spellbind young readers with their tales of misfits, outcasts, and kids with untapped stores of tremendous bravery.

For young readers on the lookout for adventure, here, in no particular order, are some stunningly imaginative books that will bring out the magic in everyday life.

In the #1 spot is “Charis: Journey to Pandora’s Jar” by Nicole Y. Walters. Charis has been waiting all her life for a chance to show her stuff. Now, it’s up to the hyper-imaginative thirteen-year-old to save the world by visiting Pandora’s Jar, the place where demons and kind spirits dwell. The catch? She’s only got five days to release the spirit of Hope from the jar before mankind is officially doomed forever. With the help of a few trusty deities and her best friend Gabe, Charis has to summon up all her courage to set things right.

She’s only got five days to release the spirit of Hope from the jar before mankind is officially doomed forever.

At #2, we have Diane Mae Robinson’s “Sir Princess Petra.” Even Princesses get bored of being pampered sometimes. In this series, nine-year-old Petra decides that she wants to become a knight. But even though she’s got courage and cunning to spare, knighthood comes with its own set of pressures and obstacles, like having to silence a dragon and visit the spooky Forest of Doom. If she can overcome a few kooky quests, she’ll find her true place in the kingdom.

At #3 is “The Hob and the Deerman” by Pat Walsh. Crowfield Abbey is a peculiar place. It’s a portal, of sorts, between the world we know and the Otherworld, a place where demons, boggarts, and all kinds of creatures freely roam. When Walter, a “hob” spirit, returns to find everything in disarray, he knows he needs to take action to help put all the troubled spirits in the abbey to rest. But it will take a lot of help, and a lot of courage, to cross paths with the Deerman of the forest and live to tell the tale.

At #4 is Tomi Ungerer’s “Fog Island.” No one ever returns from Fog Island. It’s a place shrouded in mystery, a place that Finn and Cara have been warned against visiting. But when the two siblings disobey their father and head for the far-off island, they’re in for more than they bargained for. Is the ancient place just a pile of ruins? Or is there a deeper mystery lurking, something that only the mercurial Fog Man can unlock?

But when the two siblings disobey their father and head for the far-off island, they’re in for more than they bargained for.

For #5 we have “There May Be a Castle” by Piers Torday. Eleven-year-old Mouse knows he shouldn’t have survived the car crash when he was thrown from the vehicle during a Christmas Eve drive to his grandparents’ house. He woke totally fine, but in a world he barely recognized. With the help of a magical sheep and a sardonic talking horse, he’ll need to find his way to the castle if he wants to regain entry to his own life. That is, if this place everyone speaks of is more than the stuff of legend.

Coming in at #6 is Clayton Smith’s “Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun.” The people of Brightsbane have had a rough time ever since the eternal night started. After a wizard took away the daytime from the land, he decided he needed to come back to steal a book of magic spells that holds the key to the township’s total destruction. Luckily, a spirited orphan named Mabel is going to set things right.

If she can summon up the courage to deal with a series of fantastical creatures and hair-raising quests, she might find a way to break her hometown’s terrible curse forever.

If she can summon up the courage to deal with a series of fantastical creatures and hair-raising quests, she might find a way to break her hometown’s terrible curse forever.

At #7 is Heather Mackey’s “Dreamwood.” Runaway Lucy has a fair amount of experience with supernatural forces. Her father is an expert on the subject, and she’s on a quest to find him and bring him back so she doesn’t have to go to that dreadful boarding school anymore. The problem is, her father isn’t where she thought he’d be. Could it be that the enchanted forest of Dreamwood proved too powerful a match for him? There’s only one way to find out: by heading into the heart of the living grove, no matter the consequences.

Coming in at #8 is “The Secret Life of Daisy Fitzjohn” by Tania Unsworth. Some might call Daisy’s life unusual: her best friends are a talking rat and a ghost, and she lives in an old estate that’s slowly falling apart. When her mother leaves on a strange expedition and doesn’t return, Daisy knows she can’t hide within the walls of Brightwood Hall any longer. She’ll have to do what it takes to save her home and keep her family together, with only the help of her eclectic sidekicks to guide her.

At #9 we find Pseudonymous Bosch’s “Bad Magic.” Clay knows there’s no such thing as magic. He’s seen a million sleight-of-hand shows and he knows they’re just tricks. That said, there are a few things happening at Earth Ranch that he can’t explain. Clay was supposed to be sent to the rehabilitation camp to be “scared straight.” But there’s more at work here than a few obstacle courses and hikes. For one thing, he’s having conversations with llamas.

For one thing, he’s having conversations with llamas.

For another, he may or may not have just seen a ghost. If there’s magic on Earth Ranch, Clay needs to make sure it’s not the deadly kind. If he can make it off the volcanic island without causing an explosion, he’ll count himself lucky.

Finally, at #10, is “The Mad Wolf’s Daughter” by Diane Magras. When Drest’s family of male warriors is taken captive, she finds herself in a unique position. All her life, her father and brothers took care of her. Now, she’s got to free her kin with the help of a witch, a soft-spoken knight, and her own fierce courage. With a mysterious bandit out to get her and her sense of independence growing by the day, Drest will find herself taking chances, slaying personal demons, and doing things she never dreamed herself capable of.

https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-chttps://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-captivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYgaptivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYg

10 Captivating Fantasy Books For Young Readers


By  Hgiardina & Ezvid Wiki EditorialThu, 14 Mar 2019 https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-captivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYg

TitleAuthor
1.Charis: Journey to Pandora’s JarNicole Y. Walters
2.Sir Princess PetraDiane Mae Robinson
3.The Hob and the DeermanPat Walsh
4.Fog IslandTomi Ungerer
5.There May Be a CastlePiers Torday
6.Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the SunClayton Smith
7.DreamwoodHeather Mackey
8.The Secret Life of Daisy FitzjohnTania Unsworth
9.Bad MagicPseudonymous Bosch
10.The Mad Wolf’s DaughterDiane Magras

Fun Activities For Young Fantasy Fans

How to Encourage Kids to Read

A great way to start is to get a bookshelf for your child’s room. If they have access to their own collection of books, it’ll be easy for them to read at their own pace. And if they’re looking at the shelf everyday, reading will always be on their mind. It’s also important to give your kids a comfortable place to sit. This can be anything from a rocking chair to a couch to a dedicated reading nook. If they have a space that’s just for them, it makes reading time all the more special. As they grow, your young ones will start to read more challenging books with words they don’t know. Encourage them to look up unfamiliar terms in the dictionary so they can expand their vocabulary. Finally, if you’re having trouble getting your kid interested in books in the first place, try bridging the gap between visual media and literature with graphic novels.

What is Fantasy?

No genre can capture the imagination quite like fantasy, where readers are invited to envision impossible worlds, daring heroes, and strange creatures living in the land of myth and legend. There’s a reason why so many speculative stories spellbind young readers with their tales of misfits, outcasts, and kids with untapped stores of tremendous bravery.

For young readers on the lookout for adventure, here, in no particular order, are some stunningly imaginative books that will bring out the magic in everyday life.

In the #1 spot is “Charis: Journey to Pandora’s Jar” by Nicole Y. Walters. Charis has been waiting all her life for a chance to show her stuff. Now, it’s up to the hyper-imaginative thirteen-year-old to save the world by visiting Pandora’s Jar, the place where demons and kind spirits dwell. The catch? She’s only got five days to release the spirit of Hope from the jar before mankind is officially doomed forever. With the help of a few trusty deities and her best friend Gabe, Charis has to summon up all her courage to set things right.

At #2, we have Diane Mae Robinson’s “Sir Princess Petra.” Even Princesses get bored of being pampered sometimes. In this series, nine-year-old Petra decides that she wants to become a knight. But even though she’s got courage and cunning to spare, knighthood comes with its own set of pressures and obstacles, like having to silence a dragon and visit the spooky Forest of Doom. If she can overcome a few kooky quests, she’ll find her true place in the kingdom.

At #3 is “The Hob and the Deerman” by Pat Walsh. Crowfield Abbey is a peculiar place. It’s a portal, of sorts, between the world we know and the Otherworld, a place where demons, boggarts, and all kinds of creatures freely roam. When Walter, a “hob” spirit, returns to find everything in disarray, he knows he needs to take action to help put all the troubled spirits in the abbey to rest. But it will take a lot of help, and a lot of courage, to cross paths with the Deerman of the forest and live to tell the tale.

At #4 is Tomi Ungerer’s “Fog Island.” No one ever returns from Fog Island. It’s a place shrouded in mystery, a place that Finn and Cara have been warned against visiting. But when the two siblings disobey their father and head for the far-off island, they’re in for more than they bargained for. Is the ancient place just a pile of ruins? Or is there a deeper mystery lurking, something that only the mercurial Fog Man can unlock?

For #5 we have “There May Be a Castle” by Piers Torday. Eleven-year-old Mouse knows he shouldn’t have survived the car crash when he was thrown from the vehicle during a Christmas Eve drive to his grandparents’ house. He woke totally fine, but in a world he barely recognized. With the help of a magical sheep and a sardonic talking horse, he’ll need to find his way to the castle if he wants to regain entry to his own life. That is, if this place everyone speaks of is more than the stuff of legend.

Coming in at #6 is Clayton Smith’s “Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun.” The people of Brightsbane have had a rough time ever since the eternal night started. After a wizard took away the daytime from the land, he decided he needed to come back to steal a book of magic spells that holds the key to the township’s total destruction. Luckily, a spirited orphan named Mabel is going to set things right.

If she can summon up the courage to deal with a series of fantastical creatures and hair-raising quests, she might find a way to break her hometown’s terrible curse forever.

At #7 is Heather Mackey’s “Dreamwood.” Runaway Lucy has a fair amount of experience with supernatural forces. Her father is an expert on the subject, and she’s on a quest to find him and bring him back so she doesn’t have to go to that dreadful boarding school anymore. The problem is, her father isn’t where she thought he’d be. Could it be that the enchanted forest of Dreamwood proved too powerful a match for him? There’s only one way to find out: by heading into the heart of the living grove, no matter the consequences.

Coming in at #8 is “The Secret Life of Daisy Fitzjohn” by Tania Unsworth. Some might call Daisy’s life unusual: her best friends are a talking rat and a ghost, and she lives in an old estate that’s slowly falling apart. When her mother leaves on a strange expedition and doesn’t return, Daisy knows she can’t hide within the walls of Brightwood Hall any longer. She’ll have to do what it takes to save her home and keep her family together, with only the help of her eclectic sidekicks to guide her.

At #9 we find Pseudonymous Bosch’s “Bad Magic.” Clay knows there’s no such thing as magic. He’s seen a million sleight-of-hand shows and he knows they’re just tricks. That said, there are a few things happening at Earth Ranch that he can’t explain. Clay was supposed to be sent to the rehabilitation camp to be “scared straight.” But there’s more at work here than a few obstacle courses and hikes. For one thing, he’s having conversations with llamas.

For another, he may or may not have just seen a ghost. If there’s magic on Earth Ranch, Clay needs to make sure it’s not the deadly kind. If he can make it off the volcanic island without causing an explosion, he’ll count himself lucky.

Finally, at #10, is “The Mad Wolf’s Daughter” by Diane Magras. When Drest’s family of male warriors is taken captive, she finds herself in a unique position. All her life, her father and brothers took care of her. Now, she’s got to free her kin with the help of a witch, a soft-spoken knight, and her own fierce courage. With a mysterious bandit out to get her and her sense of independence growing by the day, Drest will find herself taking chances, slaying personal demons, and doing things she never dreamed herself capable of.

https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-captivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYg

The Pen Pieyu Adventures Series by Diane Mae Robinson win’s 10th Book Award

Front CoverSir Princess Petra’s Mission – The Pen Pieyu Adventures, Book Three

Author: Diane Mae Robinson

Illustrator: Micheal Bermundo

Publisher: Tate Publishing, 2016.

Paperback: 106 pages

Description Categories: adventure kids books; children’s fantasy books; dragon books for children

 

Sir Princess Petra’s Mission, book 3 in The Pen Pieyu Adventures, is awarded a 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Award in the Children – Adventure category.  This recent award is the 10th book award for The Pen Pieyu Adventures series.

Honorable Mention_Reader's Favorite Intl' Book Award high resol.5 * Review by Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite. “Diane Mae Robinson’s epic fantasy and adventure tale for children, Sir Princess Petra’s Mission, is the third book in this original and highly acclaimed series about a princess who’d really rather be a knight.” Read More on the Readers’ Favorite Review Page.

 

Previous Awards for The Pen Pieyu Adventures series: 2012 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award (literary award); 2012 Purple Dragonfly Book Award; 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award; 2013 Sharp Writ Book Award; 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award; 2015 Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval; 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award; 2015 Children’s Literary Classics Book Award; 2015 Los Angeles Book Festival Award. Read more about the awards.

Discover The Pen Pieyu Adventures Series–humorous dragon books for children:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Dragonsbook.com

Read reviews about these dragon books for children:

Sir Princess Petra

Sir Princess Petra’s Talent

Sir Princess Petra’s Mission

 

 

Children’s Book Author receives N.Y. Agent Contract

Button Images

Award winning author Diane Mae Robinson has announced that she has contracted with Gotham Artists Agency of New York. Robinson is the author of ‘Sir Princess Petra’ and ‘Sir Princess Petra’s Talent’.  

Button Images        2012-07-13 08.28.52

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award Winning Children’s Book Author Diane Mae Robinson Announces New York Agency Contract

Robinson awards include the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artists Award for Children’s Book Author and took 2nd Place in the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for ‘Sir Princess Petra’, the first book in the Pen Pieyu series

[October 30, 2013, St. Paul, Alberta, Canada] Award winning Canadian author Diane Robinson has announced that she has contracted with Gotham Artists Agency of New York.“Signing with New York agent, James von Scholz at Gotham Artists Agency,” Robinson stated, “is an incredible boost to my writing career. My agent will work with me to bring my characters to larger audiences through foreign rights, animation, and toy licensing. It’s very exciting.”‘Sir Princess Petra’, the first in the series, features surprising plot twists and turns, brilliant flashes of humor, zany characters and is rooted in timeless values that shine through the charismatic main character. It is written in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and is reminiscent of ‘Shrek’. Reviewers have labeled the award winning book a ‘fantasy adventure that is sure to become a timeless classic.’The second book, ‘Sir Princess Petra’s Talent’ has already received a number of very favorable reviews. A recent review on Goodreads stated, ‘This is a book that should be in lots of classrooms. I think it is a good book to help children understand that everything is not as it first seems.’ Another reviewer stated, ‘Cloaked in a fantasy work of knights, kings, and dragons that will engulf children into the story, the moral lessons imparted are refreshingly neither preachy nor boring. Petra’s breath of fresh air personality makes her an exceptional role model for children to admire and to imitate in the real situations of fear, new people, challenges, and goals in their own lives.”Ms. Robinson also recently announced that ‘Sir Princess Petra’ took an Honorable Mention award in the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Awards for Children Grade K – 3rd. This adds to the long list of awards for ‘Sir Princess Petra’.  Robinson was honored with two major awards for the first work. She was awarded the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artists Award for Children’s Book Author and took 2nd place in the Purple Dragonfly Book awards for Children’s Chapter Book.While dragon books are one of the most popular segments of fantasy fiction and children’s books in today’s marketplace, in these fantasy fiction books, Robinson uses the dragon books concept as the background to teaching young people traditional values. Ms. Robinson’s highly praised work demonstrates that dragon books can be something much more than dragon books.Diane Mae Robinson is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at robinsond@mscnet.ca. More information, including reviews, information for teachers and librarians and a special children’s section is available at her website. Both books are currently available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.About Diane Mae Robinson:

Diane Mae Robinson has a journalism diploma from the Schools of Montreal, and an advanced diploma from the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut.  She is also an artist, writing tutor and teaches acrylic and watercolor art to children. She lives with her husband, Allen, in a small hilltop castle near St. Paul, Alberta.  They have four dogs and three horses, along with a forest inhabited by gnomes, fairies, a princess, and a dragon. This magical forest is where Diane creates her characters and gets the inspiration for her stories.

Contact:

Diane Mae Robinson
http://www.dragonsbook.com
robinsond@mcsnet.ca

For more reviews of Sir Princess Petra’s Talent, book 2 in this adventure kids book series go here:http://amzn.to/1584kko

– See more at: http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/release_diane_robinson_oct213.html#sthash.pl5cTgRt.dpuf

Fantasy Kids Book – Excerpt.

While the Kid Lit Reviews http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2013/08/16/excerpt-sir-princess-petras-talent/ reviewer takes time off to recover from foot surgery, we are pleased to present a very special post from Diane Robinson’s soon to be released Sir Princess Petra’s Talent from her Pen Pieyu Adventure Series.  This is an excerpt from chapter one.

 talent lighter version      The Royal Rule Book, Again

Excerpt from Chapter 1

      .   .Petra awoke to the sound of the royal councilman’s bugle.  She hastily dressed in leggings and a tunic full of rips and holes from a recent jousting practice and scurried to the royal throne room.

.   ..   .The king and queen of Pen Pieyu sat on their ragged, leather thrones.  Her mother had a nervous look about her, and her father, a sly grin.  The royal councilman was running in circles until he came upon the royal rule book, which lay under Claymore, the royal mastiff.

13

.    .   .Somehow, Petra thought, the royal rule book looked much thicker than last she had seen it.  That could only mean trouble.  Petra rolled her eyes and gave a little moan.

.  . .   .“Father, Mother,” Petra said with a bow, “you summoned me?”

.   ..   .“Yes, my little Princess Knight,” her father replied, rather surly, as he watched the royal councilman point to a section in the royal rule book.  The king stood, cleared his throat, then bellowed out, “It is hereby written that all Princess Knights of the Kingdom of Pen Pieyu must attend Talent School before their tenth year of age.  They will be sent to the Land of Lost Donkeys and, under the instruction of King Asterman, learn a talent fit for a princess.  After which time, the hereby-said princess—meaning you—will return to the Kingdom of Pen Pieyu with a proper princess talent and a certificate.”

.   ..   .Petra felt her face flush and her manners fly out the window.  “That is ridiculous!  I am a royal knight since I have accomplished the deed of hushing the howling dragon, Snarls, in the Forest of Doom.  I should be treated as a royal knight and not this sissy princess stuff!  And, besides, you just wrote that part—”

.   ..   .“Silence!” the king roared.

.   ..   .The royal councilman’s eyes grew extremely wide.  He flipped the page of the royal book and backed away.

scan0002

.   ..   .The king gave his you-had-better-be-quiet glare toward Petra, then continued to read, loudly,   “The hereby-said Princess Knight will acquire a talent certificate or be in forfeit of this royal rule.  Forfeiting this royal rule will entitle the royal magician to turn the hereby-said Princess Knight into a frog to live in the bogs for a period of five years.”  The king smirked and plopped back onto his chair.

.   ..   .“You made that all up!”  Petra gave her best that’s-not-fair stare.  “Our kingdom has never had a Princess Knight, nor any knight for that matter, before me.  And as if a person can be turned into a frog.”  She wondered about this for just a moment.  “At any rate, I would rather be a frog than learn to crochet!”  Petra blurted and crossed her arms.

——–

Book 1: Sir Princess Petra proved to be an awarding experience for Ms. Robinson. She was awarded the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artists Award for Children’s Book Author, took 2nd place in the Purple Dragonfly Book awards for Children’s Chapter Book, and is a finalist in the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Awards for Children Grade K – 3rd.

Diane Robinson’s Book 2: Sir Princess Petra’s Talent will be available on September 24, 2013.  Starting then, she will also begin a book blog tour that will run until the 8th of October.  Kid Lit Reviews is pleased to review the book and interview one of the main characters, but also to host Ms. Robinson’s book blog tour.Finished #1

Blog tour will be held at: http://kid-lit-reviews.com

Author’s website:  http://www.dianemaerobinson.com/

Author’s blog:  http://www.dragonsbook.com/

Twitter:    @DianeMaeRobinso (not a typo – forget the ‘n’)
——————
Once in a royal era, along comes a truly noble story that is charming and majestic, while embracing timeless values through a deeper message.

An honorable and worthy message about believing in yourself, the acceptance of others, and the grace of kindness.  This is that story.

talent lighter version.

.

Sir Princess Petra’s Talent

Diane Mae Robinson

Tate Publishing

September 24, 2013

Visit Sue at Kid Lit Reviews: http://kid-lit-reviews.com

Visit Diane at All About Children’s Books: http://www.dianemaerobinson.com

More information on the Kids Page about these dragon books books for children/fantasy kids books: http://www.dragonsbook.com/for-kids.html

 

Fantasy Kids Books – Character Building

Fantasy kids books writing. One of the first things I do when creating characters in my fantasy kids books is to give them names, (once I know what they are; a nine-year-old princess, a dragon, etc) then an image of them starts to form gradually in my mind. After the image of each character forms, their personalities start to come alive. Once their personalities become clear, the plotting of a fantasy kids book is ready to be written.

Illustration by Samantha Kickingbird

Illustration by Samantha Kickingbird

This is my process for creating fantasy kids books and dragon books for children. The whole process takes months and as new details come to me, I jot them down on paper. Each character has their own section in my character log book.When I feel that the characters are whole and real, I start imagining what their adventures will be. I start to make a mini movie in my head as I visualize the ‘where and what’ of the plotting. The plotting is still work, but plotting seems to come so natural once the characters are fully formed.
When you’re writing fantasy kids books, adventure kids books, or any other genre of children’s book, you don’t have a lot of space to ‘tell’ about the character’s descriptions, nor do you want to. So a lot of the characteristics will come out as other characters meet them or through what that character is doing and saying.The really cool thing about getting your characters to be real and whole (even if a lot of that information isn’t told to the reader), is that it does come out in the story. It comes out in the “Show Don’t Tell” that all writers have heard a thousand times. I think it becomes a sub-conscious process to the writer because the writer knows her characters just as much as knowing a long-time friend. And if your characters are real to you, the writer, it is amazing how the illustrator will have the same vision as you had for those characters.
When book one, Sir Princess Petra, was in the illustration stage, I nervously waited and wondered what the artist’s vision of the main character, Petra Longstride, would be. I worried for all my characters. After all, I felt my reputation and all my hard work as the writer was at stake.

The thing about the whole creative process is this: if you, the writers, have made believable and whole characters, the illustrator gets it just as easily as if you had sent her photographs.

When I received the illustrations for book one, Sir Princess Petra – The Pen Pieyu Advenutres, they were perfect. All the characters were exactly as I had envisioned them. I had learned about this process in writing school, but until I had been through this process, I wasn’t sure that it actually worked. It does work. And when it did work, I knew I had done my job as the writer to create fully rounded, believable characters in my first book in this series of fantasy kids books.

Sir Princess Petra, the main character of the series, The Pen Pieyu Adventures.

Sir Princess Petra, the main character of the series, The Pen Pieyu Adventures.

This is exactly what Petra Longstride looked like to me, in my imagination, before the illustrations had even begun. The illustrator of the book is, Samantha Kickingbird and she was assigned by the publisher to my book. 

To make your characters real to the reader is the best things you can when writing fantasy kids books. 

To read more about my fantasy kids books / adventure books for children, go here.